


I found a boy

by CamelotLady



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-18
Updated: 2012-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-03 21:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/386154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamelotLady/pseuds/CamelotLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She had found someone now, and she was sure this was for real.Why did she feel like it was a mistake? Kono/OC, SEVERAL hints of McKono.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This was not the perfect way to meet someone, that much was true. Not that she was actually looking for someone right now, but somehow it happened anyway. Chin tagged along with her for company as Steve sent them to interrogate a potential witness for a case; it was supposed to be the usual questions like 'do you know this man?' and 'have you seen this woman?' That kind of thing. Nothing out of the ordinary. The man was supposed to answer the questions and nothing else; she was prepared for a long, boring day truth be told.

She did not know destiny, fate or whatever you want to call it, had something completely different prepared for her.

The man before her smiles repeatedly and nods now and then but she was hundred percent sure he was not paying attention to Chin's questions. He looked at him and agreed, then he watched her intently. Kono had to look away; his intense green eyes were making her nervous.

"I'm sorry," he interrupts Chin and moves a little closer to her, which was technically impossible since there was a small table separating them but he tried anyway. "I don't mean to disrespect you or anything, officer, but you must be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Kono choked at his words; was he seriously trying to pull that old trick on her? Chin laughs softly and she slaps his arm playfully.

"Are you trying to disrespect me, Mister…?"

"Matthews, Dylan Matthews. But please, call me Dylan," he says, flashing a wide smile at her.

"Mr. Matthews, we are here to solve a homicide, not to make friends and certainly not so you can work your pick-up lines over on an officer."

"It's not a trick," he says. "I'm being completely honest with you."

"Alright then…" Chin speaks from next to her on the couch and focuses his attention on the witness. "Mr. Matthews, you are the only potential witness we have to solve this case. Any information you have would be very useful."

"Of course, anything you need," he speaks with a serious look, "I just have one question."

He turns his attention towards Kono once again, and she could not help the surprise on her face because she had no idea what to expect from a man who was openly flirting with her when he was supposed to be answering questions.

"Would you go out with me?" he says and Chin exchanges looks of disbelief with her.

"Excuse me?" she asks him.

"I mean, I might remember something in the next couple of hours and the only way for me to answer any of your questions or doubts is for you to go out with me."

"Are you trying to manipulate us?" Kono asks him with what she meant to be a harsh tone, but the amusement this man provoked in her did not allow using any neither serious tone nor face.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't even try," he says. "I was just wondering, since I'm not from around here and I would really like for someone to show me around…"

"Okay, time to go," she gets up quickly, sensing somehow that this was already getting out of hand. He follows them to the door and she felt the need to walk away from the guy, who now seemed to her like just another creep. He grabs the door knob before they could actually reach it.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, please forgive me," he begs.

"It's okay," she responds and he smiles at her sweetly.

"You haven't answered my question though."

"What?"

"Would you go out with me?"

She certainly should have said no, because it was out of line and because they were working. She knew how awful it was for her to say it or even thinking about it, but maybe this was some sort of a sign for her to leave her feelings for Steve behind, including the so-called love confession and his rejection. Besides, this man was charming enough to get her attention, he didn't seem so bad, he looked honest and straightforward. Part of her brain was telling her to say no, but then her heart was telling her to move on and take a chance.

"Fine," she answers him, receiving a strange and surprised look from Chin.

"Perfect," he gives her a boy-ish grin.

"Can we go now, please?" she asks him and he releases the door knob and they walk out. They reach the car and she can hear him yelling.

"Hey! You didn't give me your number."

"Guess it!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chin stares at her the whole time on their way back. He was shocked at how easily she gave her answer to a complete stranger, but she felt completely at ease. She was tired of waiting, tired of dreaming the man she wanted would be hers because she know that would never happen. Steve was far away from her, he loved someone else and she could not possibly compete with Catherine, no matter how strong her love for him was, this was her time to let him go.

That's the only explanation she had, at least for herself.

The get to the HQ where Danny and Steve were waiting for whatever information they could get. This time they had nothing, though.

"So, he knew nothing then?" Steve asks, she nods slowly.

"Sorry…"

"Well we didn't get information but Kono here got something else," Chin says, smiling widely.

"Shut up," She whispers, staring at Steve for a moment but he was focused on reading the case file instead of their conversation.

"What?" Danny asks, curious.

"The guy asked her out," Chin says, and that's enough for Steve to snap his head up. She stares at him again, this time his eyes were glued to hers.

"He did?" Steve asks her, frowning.

"Yes," She answers.

"What did you say?" Danny speaks.

"She said yes," Chin smiles and she felt her cheeks hot with embarrassment. She did not like the look she was receiving from Steve, her heart jumped inside her heart thinking he might be jealous. But then, when she truly saw it, he was actually angry.

"You're going out with a potential suspect?"

"Potential suspect, since when?" She asked, confused. When did he become one?

"Since… always," he responds and she gets the same confused look she had from Danny and Chin.

"Whatever you say, Boss," she answers. "but as long as he's not the killer and you show me no proof that he might be, I am going out with Dylan."

"Who?" Danny whispers.

"The witness," Chin answers.

"Right."

There's an awkward silence between them, in which Steve does not take his eyes away from her making her heart beat faster once again. He had no idea the effect he had on her. That until the phone rings and they all snap out attention to it. Danny picks it up, calling her name a few seconds later.

She takes the phone out of his hand and she watches her with amusement as the voice on the other line whispers her name.

"Yes?"

" _You told me to find you. I did."_

"Dylan?"

" _Oh. so I'm no longer Mr. Matthews?"_

"I could keep calling you that if you wish."

" _No, please. I love how you say my name."_

"What can I do for you, Dylan?"

" _You could tell me when our date is gonna take place."_

She steals a glance from the team, who were paying close attention to whatever she was saying. She could have told Dylan them going out could be a huge mistake, with him being possibly involved with the case, but her heart was telling her she was making the right choice.

"How about tomorrow?"

" _Really? That's perfect."_

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."

" _I can't wait."_

She hangs up the phone and smile at the boys. This was the right thing to do, right?

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

He was a gentleman.

Kono was more than surprised at how sweet Dylan was with her. He asked her where she wanted to go first, which made sense since he was not from Hawaii at all and they had agreed she was going to show him around. She took him to the beach, her favorite place in the world, and he watched her as she inhaled the sweet scent of the ocean without saying a word. He was admiring her, admiring her natural beauty and how a slow smile appeared on her face.

She was surprised at how much she was enjoying her time with him. They had eaten at Kamakona's first, which lead her to an introduction between the big guy and Dylan. When she had mentioned she was a date Kamakona's threat was more than amusing, especially since Dylan thought he was joking. His reaction changed when she assured him he was being very honest.

She was surprised at how much she wanted to know about this mysterious man, who somehow seemed to be fascinated with her and how intrigued she was to know if he was being real.

"Can I ask you something?" she spoke, breaking the silence.

"Whatever you want."

"Why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you want to date me of all people?"

"I told you before, I think you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I was being completely honest."

She shook her head. Surely he had used that line many times, and it probably had worked many times too. Maybe he was a man that used his charm and good looks to play with women's hearts, and right now he was doing that to her.

"You don't believe me?" he asked her, frowning at her.

"Yeah sure, I believe you. I also believe you've used that line many times before."

"Yes, yes I have," he answers with honesty. "This time I mean it though."

And she believed him; the way his eyes shone as he spoke and the seriousness of his face proved to her that he was not lying. She had learned how to read people a long time ago, his eyes had this honesty she could not dismiss.

"In fact, I'm being so totally and completely honest with you that I'm gonna do something I've never done before, with any other girl."

"Oh really? What's that?"

"I'm gonna tell you everything about me, all you want to know."

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything."

"Okay, tell me who you are."

He smiled broadly, took her hand and pulled her down. They sat in front of the ocean; the soft sound of the waves crashing created the perfect setting. It was her turn to watch him as his eyes were fixed in the waves before them.

"My name is Dylan…"

"I know that," she laughed and he smiled at her.

"I have a brother who is two years older than me, his name is Jared. My current residency is here in Hawaii but my original home is in New York City. I have an awesome job as a journalist at the local newspaper, that being the New York Post. My boss sent me away on forced vacations because he says I work too much, which is completely true by the way. My father passed away when I was eleven, so I was raised by my mother," he stopped, turned around grinning. "What else… oh my vacation was over two days ago, so I'm probably gonna get fired. Don't really care though, I met someone who is worth every single moment of my time."

He watched her, waiting for her to speak but she was fascinated at how brutally honest he was and how interested he was with sharing every aspect of his life. He was not a stranger anymore.

"Now I want to know about you," he said.

She would usually never share anything about her with anyone outside her circle, that being only Chin, Danny and Steve, but she had already taken the first step; she had agreed to date a complete stranger out of the blue, but most importantly deep inside she wanted him to be part of her life, she wanted to tell him things about her she had never told anybody.

"Well, my name is Kono, as you know. I'm an only child; the man you saw me with the first time is my cousin Chin. I have a house near the beach. I'm a cop, which you already know, and I think it's the most amazing job in the world. I used to surf professionally but I had an accident and I had to retire." She stopped for a second, thinking about something else to say, "I usually never date strangers who I recently interrogated about a crime before, but something about you pulled me to say yes…"

"That's because I'm awfully charming and very handsome," he joked. To which Kono agreed one hundred percent. He had a boyish look; beautiful green eyes and the most perfect smile she had ever seen (Steve's following close behind), his hair was short and brown and he was not too tall or too short, she could even say she did not need to stand on tip toes to kiss him.

'Our date is not over yet and I'm already thinking about kissing him' Kono thought.

"Maybe…" she said

"Or maybe this is fate, telling us we should just follow our hearts."

Suddenly that reminded her of Steve. She had followed her heart once, when he was lying on that hospital bed, which lead her to whisper 'I love you' to later be mistaken for someone else.

"I'm sorry, have I said something wrong?" he suddenly asked, watching her as her head got lost in space.

"No, of course not," she responds. "It's been a long day, that's all."

"You want me to take you home? We can continue this some other time."

"Other time?"

"Yeah. Only if you want to, that is."

She smiled sweetly at him as he reached for her, helping her stand up from the sand. He holds her hand a little longer, her cold hand felt perfect between his warm one.

"I would love to."

"I was hoping you would say that."

They walked slowly towards her house. Talking lively on their way, sharing stories about their lives, laughing and telling jokes.

Kono felt happy for the first time in a very long time.

**TBC!**


	3. Chapter 3

Kono smiled broadly for the first time while going to work. She had dreamed about her date with Dylan, she had relived her date in her brain so many times it didn't seem real to her anymore. For the first time she was thinking about someone other than Steve. She felt she was putting him behind slowly, her heart jumping with joy at the idea of seeing Dylan again. That was a sign of moving on, right?

When Danny saw her walk in was when the questions begun. It was only natural to them to be curious since she hadn't had a date since God knows when. So when Danny asked her about her date she had no trouble answering with a wide smile.

"It went perfectly," she said and her friend smiled back at her. "I'm actually considering seeing him again."

"Really?"

"Yes," she smiled again as she nodded. "He's the sweetest man I've ever met, Danny. I feel there're so many things I want to know about him, you know?"

"I'm glad, Kono. I mean, I'm glad to see you so happy."

"I am, I truly am."

Her phone rings and she smiles yet again when she sees the caller ID. She feels like a schoolgirl all over again. Steve watches her from afar, walking out of his office to see her giggle at whoever was talking to her on the phone. Danny watches his friend's reaction and is surprised at how unhappy Steve is.

"Don't do that," Danny says, making Steve frown in confusion.

"Do what?"

"You don't have the right to be jealous now, man."

"What are you talking about, Danny?"

"You're jealous because Kono is seeing somebody. You don't have to say a word, I know you."

"I'm not jealous; I'm just worried about her. Period."

"Worried about what exactly?"

"The guy could be the murder we're looking for, Danny. Aren't you slightly concerned about that?"

"You know there's no chance of him even being remotely connected to it, so stop making excuses."

"I'm not…"

"Look, Steve. Kono has all the right in the world to be happy without us, you Chin and me, ruining her life."

"What if this guy turns out to be a serial killer on the run?"

"Well, what if we let Kono figure that out on her own?"

"Why don't you show more concern at our friend's situation?"

"There is NO situation and stop covering you jealousy with all this. You have your life, let Kono have her own."

"I…"

"Shut up, she's coming."

Steve keeps quiet, showing no reaction at her presence at all. She would have been hurt at some other point, but she was so concentrated on her life now that she didn't want to worry about Steve. She loved him, of course she did, but she couldn't sit around and wait for him to notice her forever. She was moving on now.

 

* * *

 

Dylan shows up for lunch time. She did not expect his visit but was happy when she saw him walk in. He brought a single red rose to her; he said he wasn't sure if she liked roses. She was so impressed by his sweetness that she didn't have the heart to tell him she hated roses.

Danny comes to greet him, followed closely by Steve and Chin. He shakes his hand politely, introducing himself and faking a smile. Kono felt her stomach tight inside as the tension building up between them; this did not come from Dylan since he seemed more than fascinated with meeting her team mates. Steve watched him with an intense look; to Kono he was just being unnecessarily overprotective seeing the new guy he insisted might be a suspect, to Danny his jealousy was showing profusely.

They walked away holding hands, and the team watched her as she laugh about something Dylan had said. To Chin's surprise Steve locked himself in his office after his cousin disappeared behind the glass doors, to Danny he was so angry at himself for seeing her with another man that the only choice he had was vanished from the world, but since he could not do that his office was the next best thing.

He should be happy, he knew that. But when Kono showed up saying there was another man, someone who took the courage to ask her out, he could not control his emotions any longer. It took him a good day to figure out what was wrong with him, it took him all his will power not to kick that man in the ass just because he wanted to. He liked her. No, he loved her. And the feeling that he was losing her over some guy who played prince charming for her did not leave him alone. He was even making up him being involved with the case, which at this point there was no use since he knew it wasn't right.

"Hey man," Danny spoke from the door, making his way in without waiting to be invited and closing the door behind him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

"That door slam you just did does not look like fine to me," he watches his reaction, Steve's silence proving he was right. "Are you still thinking about Kono and the guy?"

"I told you Danny, I'm just worried about her wellbeing, nothing more."

"You see? I would believe you BUT since I do know you…"

"I'm not lying."

"Fine. If you're not lying then tell me what's in your head right now,"

"Well I have a lot of things in my head."

"Such as?"

He sighs heavily, knowing he could not lie to Danny or he could not make something up for him to leave him alone. There was something else other than Kono in his head. Their last conversation involving Lori's love confession and how significant it had become, how it made him feel special and how he thought he could never love anyone like Catherine. Two nights later, after that conversation, he kept replaying those words over and over again. The female voice creeping inside his head each time he closed his eyes. It seemed different than he remembered; he wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

"Lori."

"Lori? You're thinking about Lori just now?" Danny asked confused.

"No, I mean I was thinking about something Lori said to me before leaving."

"What did she say?"

"The day of my accident, while I was in the hospital, Lori said she loved me," Steve explained and Danny's reaction was not of surprise, which made him believe he already knew about her feelings for him.

"She did?"

"Yeah. Kono and I were having this conversation, she told me Lori had been very brave by telling me how she felt, even If I was unconscious…"

"Was that the day when Kono walked out of your office crying her eyes out?"

Steve stared at his friend for a brief second before shaking his head.

"She wasn't crying."

"Yeah she was. I saw her, she looked kind of sad. I sort of guessed what you guys talked about but it didn't look like a happy topic to me, from Kono's reaction."

"I don't understand…"

"Can I tell you something?" he didn't wait for his answer, he continued talking "I think you got it wrong. I don't think the woman who said those words to you was Lori, in fact I can assure you it was not."

"And if it wasn't Lori, who was then?"

"Someone who you just noticed because there's some smart man out there who is going to take her away from us, from you, in no time."

He frowned, and then his friend's words hit him like a cold shower. It made sense why the voice was haunting him, why he couldn't quite place it with Lori, why it didn't sound like her at all, is because she wasn't the one.

He had been so stupid not to notice, so blind not so see her right in front of him. Now the feelings he had inside, the ones he had been trying to avoid, made sense to him so much. It had been her all along…

"Kono…" he whispered, letting the words finally sinking in.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

_**1 year later.** _

She couldn't believe a year had already passed. Everything had changed; she was a different woman with a different life. She had met a wonderful man, someone every girl could only dream of. She was surprised by how much she truly loved him.

Their relationship was most definitely moving forward, she had no hesitations whatsoever and she never thought twice about being with him. She was finally moving past what she thought was her never ending crush on Steve.

Dylan had managed to quit his job, much to his boss's protest, and due to his amazing job (and recommendations) he'd quickly found a job at the local newspaper. He was in the process of finding a house when Kono brought up the perfect idea of moving in together.

Though when the words had come out of her mouth she wasn't thinking straight; it was too late to say 'let's wait a little, this is too soon' because he had already said yes.

So now instead of just being 'boyfriend and girlfriend', they were roommates.

Never in her life had she thought about living with a boy.

"Have you talked to the witness yet?" someone asks. She's so distracted by the text message Dylan had just sent her, she was smiling broadly until Steve snapped his finger in front of her face. She looked at him for a brief second before realizing it was him who just spoke. He did not look happy at all.

"What?"

"What are you doing?" he asked and she snapped her head from her phone to his face. "Are you texting someone?"

"No… yes. It was Dylan."

"Are you kidding me now?" he was pissed. And by his tone of voice and the look on his face, his anger was directed at her. It's not like he hadn't done this before. Not that she had seen him…

"I'm sorry…"

"In case you haven't noticed we have a murder to solve."

"Yes, I'm sorry boss."

"Can you please tell your guy to stop texting or calling during work hours?"

"I will."

"I don't like you getting distracted."

"I already said I was sorry!"

"Good."

"Fine."

He watched her intensely again. She was trying to read him but failed somehow; she used to be good at this but she had lost it somewhere. It seemed to her with each passing day she was losing her connection with Steve. He had managed to create a wall between them to which she had a hard time comprehending.

"I'll be in my office," he whispered while turning away, the slam of the door gave away how upset he truly was.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, receiving a shrug from Danny. She knew Danny knew the reason; she was pretty sure they talked about everything and if something was wrong with Steve, Danny knew about it.

"He's probably just stressed out about the case. You know how it works."

"What the hell does that have to do with me and Dylan then?"

"I have no idea what you're saying," he was obviously ignoring her, that's what he does when he knows something and he doesn't want to open his mouth more than he usually does.

"Fine, I'm gonna figure it out myself."

She moves away from Danny and makes her way towards Steve's office. If something was wrong and he was mad at her for some stupid reason, she had all the right to know. She couldn't be walking around eggshells all day.

She doesn't wait for him to invite her in, because she thought he wouldn't, and stood in front of Steve's desk where he pretended he didn't see her. She waited, hands on her hips, about to start tapping her foot on the floor, while his eyes were focus of whatever he was reading.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked, and he lifted his head just enough to look at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Because that's the only explanation I have for you acting like this with me"

"Acting like what?"

She bit her tongue because she really did not want to call her boss a 'jerk' or anything like that.

"Like I've committed a crime or something."

"I just asked you to tell your guy…"

"His name is Dylan. Stop calling him my guy."

"Fine, tell Dylan to stop calling you and we're gonna be fine."

'We're gonna be fine?' When were they bad?

"What do his calls have to do with the way I work?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Good."

She stood there, even though they had talked she felt like her question had not been answered at all, because he had the same look on his face from the day she had introduced them to Dylan, as if there was something in him that he could just not explain not tell. He had said he was happy but now she didn't believe him at all.

"Still you haven't answered my question."

Which he somehow did, but she needed more.

"Does it bother you?" he asked and she frowned at whatever he was getting to "Would it bother you if I told you how much I hate when he calls you, and the way you smile when he does that?"

She was totally and completely confused. What was he getting at? What was he really saying?

"I don't…"

He got up, slowly making his way to where she was standing. He sat on his desk, in front of her and she watched him playing with his hands on his lap, the way he sighed and swallowed hard.

"I don't think he deserves you," he whispered, not looking at her for even a second. It seemed he was talking to himself rather than her. "I don't think he will ever love you the way you should be loved."

"What?" she mouthed, the only word coming out of her mouth at the moment.

"You deserve someone better…"

"Someone like whom, you?" she had dared to ask. He snapped his head towards her, her heart shrinking at the intense jealousy reflected in his yes. All this time he had been jealous of Dylan, each time he called she had seen him watching her but he had never thought he could be feeling that way, at all.

"Yes."

It was that simple. That shocking. She had never considered the possibility of loving Steve all over again, just because Dylan was amazing and made her feel special and happy, and because the last time she had told him 'I love you' her heart broke. Now listening to him saying there could be a possibility, a chance for them, made her re-think all she felt inside. She felt confused all over again.

"I could love you hundred times more than he ever will," he pleaded.

"Why now?" she wondered. "Why did you have to wait a year Steve? Why did you have wait for someone to come and love me to tell me all this?"

"I don't know, call it stupidity, blindness or maybe that's what it took for me to see I was losing you."

She wasn't going to give up on Dylan just because Steve was saying all those nice words she had dreamed of, no. She wasn't going to sacrifice her perfect relationship because he loved her.

No matter how much she loved him too.

"Well I'm sorry, but I just can't do this to him," she spoke firmly, not willing to break down in front of him. "He loves me."

"Do you love him?"

"I do," she answers and he looked defeated.

Her phone beeped, Dylan's name flashing on the screen. Steve sighed before her and she knew for sure this conversation was over, and probably every chance of ever talking about this again.

"You should go," he spoke, head down. "Don't keep him waiting."

She turned around and walked out, closing the door behind her. She let a tear run freely down her cheek, purely out of anger or sadness, she couldn't choose which.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

She thought going out for launch with Dylan would be a good idea, just because he felt nauseated inside the HQ, and because she kept replaying the same conversation over and over again.

She should have sensed something was going to happen when he took her to some restaurant instead of their usual spot at Kamakona's.

"How was work?" he asked politely. He was always so worried about her, always wondered about what she did at five 0. She thought his natural journalistic instinct where always on.

"Good, it was good," she said, looking at everything but him.

She knew he had noticed something when his hand covered hers. He gave it a light squeeze and let go. She was about to make a lame excuse about being too tired or too busy so they could go home, when he grabbed her hand once again and smiled brightly at her.

"Kono, there's a reason why I took you here and not Kamakona's today."

"There is?"

"Yes." He shifted on his seat nervously, glanced at her one more time before taking a deep breath "There's something I wanted to ask you and… God, this is so hard."

"Dylan, what's going on?"

He put his hand on his pocket, taking a small dark blue velvet box. Her heart stopped, she froze in her chair and her palms began to sweat more than usual, anticipating what was yet to come.

"What.."

"Kono Kalakaua, would you marry me?" he spoke quickly, waiting for her answer anxiously.

Her brain was telling her no; to run away and forget about this whole thing. Tell him you love someone else, someone who a few minutes ago told you he loved you too. But then her heart was being soft and reminded her everything he had done for her, leaving his whole life to move in, changing his entire life just to be with her. She couldn't just say no and walk away, he didn't deserve to be hurt because she couldn't just make up her damn mind.

Just when did this get so complicated?

"Yes…" she whispered, smiling sweetly at him. "Yes, I would love to marry you."

 

* * *

 

She looked at her bright diamond ring for what seemed to be the tenth time. She was really engaged. She was getting married.

She was having a hard time processing everything, trying to figure out the proper way to tell her friends about this. She was happy, yes. But she always thought marrying the guy she loved would make her feel static, bouncy and smiley, not confused and insecure.

There was something different in the environment when she walked inside the HQ. She thought for a moment about waiting a while before dropping the bomb to the team, probably a couple of days until she didn't feel so uncomfortable talking about it (weird, but she couldn't help it).

When she noticed something different was in Danny. He looked somber; he sat at his desk with his head between his hands, quietly. She was scared, she felt something bad happening and she prayed not to Steve.

"Danny?"

He raised his head towards her, getting up from his chair slowly. He held her hand and gave it a light squeeze, as if he were apologizing already for whatever bad news she had.

"Something happened…" he whispered and Kono feared the worse.

"What…"

"Mamo is dead."

She felt somehow relieved but sad at the same time. She thought for a moment because of the way he looked at her that something had happened to Chin or Steve, but now he understood why he looked so gloomy. Though they did not know Mamo that much, he knew he had been a dear friend not only to Steve but her as well. He was actually friend to everyone in the Island, and him passing was definitely shocking.

"What? How?"

"Heart attack. He died a few hours ago."

She looked around her, she only saw Danny when she walked in and she wondered where Steve was. He would surely be sad about him passing.

"Where's Steve?"

The glass door opened and Steve walked in. His eyes were puffy red, clear sign of crying. He looked defeated, broken. She couldn't blame him, Mamo had been a very important person to him and to his father, and he always considered him part of his own family.

She felt like there was something she was supposed to be doing, something to calm his pain but her brain was having a hard time processing everything as it was, she had no idea how to make it better.

Then he made his way towards her, looking straight into her brown eyes. And somehow her brain and heart was able to function when he was facing her, seeing how vulnerable he was, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her tight, as if his life depended on it, his head resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Mamo," she whispered, "is there anything I can do?"

"No," he moved away a little, she couldn't really say it but she missed the warmth of his body already. "I just talked to the family, there's gonna be a ceremony tomorrow if you want to come."

"I'll be there."

 

* * *

 

Being on the sand, watching all the people driving off to the sea with their boards, some of them on boats, saying goodbye to their dear friends, made her forget about the news she was about to share with Steve. She figured, as twisted it might sound, that the universe was sending her signals, and this was some way of telling her she wasn't supposed to say anything at all. But she wanted to, she had to. Keeping her engagement a secret was not going to work or make everything better.

"Where's Dylan?" Steve asked beside her, looking straight at the screaming people and the waves crashing.

"He's working. He wanted to come but…"

"Yeah…"

He shifted on his spot, playing with the sand between his hands. They suddenly become quiet, neither of them knowing what to say or talk about, he was obviously uncomfortable being around her after what happened and she wasn't feeling any better either.

"Kono, about what happened yesterday…" he spoke, shaking his head softly with each word. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Steve…"

"Sorry, I know. Wrong time and wrong place," he apologized. "I just wanted to make it clear. I don't wish for you to be uncomfortable around me; we work together and we're friends, the last thing I want is for our relationship to be broken."

"Dylan proposed to me last night," she spoke quickly, silencing him with her words, "and I said yes."

She watched him, watched his reaction. He looked around him, avoiding her eyes; he didn't want her to read him, to see the misery written in his eyes.

"I'm gonna talk to the family…" he whispered, standing up slowly.

"Steve…"

"I'll see you in the office."

He walked away from her, taking quick steps to wherever he was going. He probably wanted to stay away from her, but she couldn't blame him. She never pictured her engagement like this, she always figured sharing this moments with her friends would be fantastic, she had never imagined crying softly on the sand, alone.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

She never thought she would cry this much in her life. She had no more tears left. How come a happy situation could turn into a sad one in matter of days? If Steve hadn't told her how he felt she could be happy right now, she could have moved on from him and in years she would have probably forgotten about him. But he had opened his mouth and ruined what was supposed to be her new perfect life. Now she was so confused and utterly miserable she thought she wasn't going to make it.

Thank God Dylan had been working late for the last couple of days; she couldn't even come up with a reasonable explanation for all her tears, not to mention she didn't know what to say to Dylan if he had asked her about her distress.

Then she remembered how much she missed her friend Maggie, because there was one person in the world she could trust to and she wasn't with her to give her advice, making everything less complicated. She did mention something about 'write me or call me whenever something superb happens' and this soon to be married to someone other than Steve kind of falls into that category.

" _Maggie._

_First of all; please come home soon! I need you here. Why did you have to leave anyways? My world is not the same without you; can you please hurry the hell up? Second; there's one tiny (not so tiny) bit of news I need to share with you, please don't freak out okay? Alright, I'm getting married. Not today, not tomorrow, but I will. Dylan proposed to me and I said yes._

_Surprise!_

_I cannot give you any further information until you come back. Make it quick._

_Kono"_

Not the best way of telling your best friend about something like this. Her phone rang minutes after sending her email and she did not need to look twice to know who it was.

"Hello?"

"What the fuck are you doing?" Maggie screamed in the other line.

"Hi friend… how are you?"

" _Don't give me that crap and answer my question now, Kono!"_

"Well, I already told you. I'm getting married."

" _Why? Are you pregnant or something?"_

"No! I'm in love." She wished she could believe that.

" _Yeah, with Steve."_

"Not anymore."

" _Are you sure you're getting the right man?"_

"Of course I am. You know Dylan is wonderful, he loves me and I… you know? Care about him deeply enough to spend the rest of my life with him."

Easier said than done.

" _He could be prince charming in all his glory, but let me tell you something, he ain't Steve."_

"You're not helping Maggie."

" _Who said I wanted to help? I'm in your life to make you a little bit miserable about all the wrong choices you make."_

"This is not the wrong choice, this is the RIGHT choice. I'm doing the right thing, Dylan is…"

" _Wonderful and perfect and whatever. You already said that and if you ask me I do find him sort of boring."_

"He's not… okay, you know what? I knew this was a bad idea."

" _Marrying Dylan?"_

"No, telling you about this. I knew you were gonna get mad about this."

" _How could I not be mad? You are making the biggest mistake of your life!"_

"No, I'm not. God I told you about this already! This is the only choice I have, what do you want me to do, sit around and wait for Steve? No. This is the best decision I've made in… years."

She did fail to tell her about Steve confession because she figured, if she freaked out about this, she was going to go nuts about the other.

" _I trust in your better judgment, I always do. But when it comes to men, you absolutely suck."_

"Thank you, honey," she said ironically.

" _You're welcome."_

"I trust you will be here for my wedding, right?"

" _Wouldn't miss it for the world."_

"Thank you."

"Oh hey, you told Steve McGorgeous about your engagement?"

" _Yeah, I told him today."_

"What did he say? Did he cry? Oh my God, please tell me he did."

" _He cried for a different reason."_

"If he didn't cry for you, then why?"

She suddenly remembered Mamo and how Maggie did know him since she had grown up in the island just like she did. God she hated doing this sort of thing on the phone, bringing bad news to people.

"Mamo died."

" _WHAT? How? Oh my God, Mamo!"_

"He died of a heart attack this morning. I'm sorry, sweetie."

" _This phone call is full of bad news. I'm not liking this at all."_

"This is the only bad news I told you about."

" _Oh God, please don't get me started. Besides you told me Steve cried when you told him about your engagement, but then you said he was crying because of Mamo. Don't tell me you talked to him after he find out about it?"_

"No, I told him while we… were at his funeral."

" _You did what?" she yelled. Seriously, Maggie was getting louder with each passing day. "What kind of insensitive woman are you?"_

"It just came out! I couldn't stop it…"

" _You could of at least waited a couple of days. Poor man, his friend died and you drop this bomb. Perfect timing my friend."_

"He was going to find out anyways."

" _At least tell me he wasn't happy."_

"You could say that…"

" _That's a sign then."_

"A sign of what exactly?"

" _A sign that you shouldn't marry Dylan, but Steve. And you should tell Steve how much you love him, while he's awake, and want to have pretty babies with him. Or if you don't want to actually have babies, you could totally have fun making them."_

"Just for how long you've been thinking about this?"

" _And chances are he could tell you he loves you too."_

"Yeah, well… about that…"

The key on the door makes her jump a little. Dylan was home and the last thing she needed was him listening to her conversation with her friend about another man.

"I gotta go, Dylan is here…"

" _You don't want him to find out how you drool over Steve?"_

"Bye Maggie!"

She hangs up the phone and smiles at her fiancée. Truth be told, Dylan had no idea about her feelings for Steve as he never asked about their relationship, never wondered if there was something more. She wasn't about to give him reason to suspect so.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

She hadn't seen Steve since Mamo's funeral. He had, like many times before, locked himself in his office, and each time there was a chance of them being alone he ran away. She understood him for being mad, she felt the same when he talked about Catherine, but she had never ignored him or pretended he wasn't there. That was rude. So she was trying hard to find whatever chance she got to talk to him.

She thought if she knocked on the door that would be a chance for him to make a lame excuse and walk away. So she did what Danny always did, walked in uninvited.

"You ought to stop avoiding me, Steve." she spoke quickly and he ignored her like he had done the last two days. "This is getting old."

"I'm not avoiding you, I've just been busy crime solving. You know? The usual."

"Cut the crap, would you?"

He faces her, an angry look on his face. She knew this fight was going to happen sooner or later, they had been avoiding it for too long.

"What the hell do you want me to say, huh?" he asked her. "Congratulations Kono, I'm happy for you? Oh I wish you the best with this guy who showed up out of nowhere?"

"Something like that, yes!"

"Sorry, you're not gonna get that from me."

"Wow, I thought, for a minute, that you cared."

"Yeah, I care, more than you think. But I'm not gonna pretend I'm happy when I feel miserable."

"Well, I did the same when you were with Catherine. It's easier than you think."

"Maybe for you, maybe because what you felt for me wasn't love at all."

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare minimize my feelings for you at all!" she yelled, not even caring if Danny or Chin were out there listening. She was tired. Tired of feeling guilty for moving on, for Steve waiting a whole year to tell her how he felt. "I loved you. I loved you and I had to watch you talking constantly about how much you cared about Catherine without saying a word. It wasn't easy, it wasn't simple because I fell in love with you when it wasn't right. So don't come to me and tell me I didn't love you enough."

"Then what am I supposed to do, huh?" he asked her, almost begging for an answer, "what am I supposed to do with all I feel inside?"

She wished she had an answer, she wished she could tell him to move on like she did, but she was selfish. She needed to know Steve loved her even though there was really no point to it. And perhaps, deep inside her heart, she wanted him to feel like she did.

"I think I should go…" she turned around for the door, just desperate for a way out.

"Don't ask me to let you go," he whispered and she bit her lips not to cry. "Now that I've realized how much I love you."

 

* * *

 

"Kono," Danny spoke, standing in front of her desk. She wiped away the tears from her cheeks quickly and her friend holds his hand out to her. "I'm gonna get some coffee, come with me."

"But I have…"

"C'mon."

She grabbed his hand and walked out. She breathed in the warm air, the smell of the sea crashing in her nostrils, the air filling her lungs. Danny pulled her inside the car, closing her door and moving to the driver's seat. He drove off God knows where and she didn't protest, maybe he wanted to talk and being in the office made it impossible.

"So, how have you been?" he asks, she shrugged.

"Good. I've been good."

"You sure about that?" he wondered. She turned to the window, admiring the landscape before turning to face him again. "I know you probably don't want to tell me but I know what happened between you and Steve, the conversation you guys had a year ago."

She frowned. "What conversation?"

"I saw you crying outside his office, when Lori left."

"That was a year ago, Danny," she said, sighing heavily. "A lot has changed since then."

"Yeah, you getting married."

"Big change."

"Steve seeing how much he loves you…"

"Don't say that," she begged.

"It's the truth. And you have to face it whether you like it or not."

"No, I don't have to face it," she spoke harshly. "He's the one who has to face the fact that I'm getting married. That I'm happy…"

"Are you really happy?"

The question hanged in the air. If he had asked her the same question a couple of months ago, she wouldn't hesitate in saying yes. But now she wasn't sure herself.

"Why wouldn't I be…?"

"The way I see it, you're not," he stated. "You're only trying for the easy way out, this means marrying a man you care about to forget about the man you truly love."

"Well, I guess it's too late now. Time has passed, people change and move on. I did both."

"You are truly lying to yourself if you think marrying Dylan will make everything easy and will make you forget about Steve. Sooner or later you will realize that this is a mistake, no matter how good and perfect he is."

She really wanted to tell Danny how wrong he was, but his words made more sense than she thought, refuting them would only be a waste of her time.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

"How about in a month?" Dylan asked, pouring himself another glass of wine. Kono snapped her head towards him.

One minute they were talking about his job, about surfing, about New York weather and then he dropped this bomb. Was he already planning their future and she had not been aware?

"What?"

"The wedding. How about if we marry within a month."

"A… month?"

"If that's too soon, then we can always…"

"No, that's okay."

She figured the sooner they marry, the sooner she could put everything behind her.

"Are you sure?"

"I am," she said, smiling at him.

"Great. A month it is."

 

* * *

 

"A month?" Chin spoke, dumbfounded.

"Yep."

"Isn't that too soon?"

"Why? I mean Dylan and I have been together for year now. There's no reason for us to wait any longer."

Her cousin stared at her with narrowed eyes. She saw the doubt written on his face, the hesitation and how unsure she was about her decision. She hated how well he knew her.

"Stop looking at me like that, Chin," she snapped. "I know what I'm doing."

"Are you really?" he asked, she shook her head, "because it does look to me like your running from something."

"I'm not. I already thought this through and it seems like the right choice."

"What's the right choice?" Danny interfered, standing beside her.

"I'm getting married in a month."

"A month?" he frowned, "isn't that too soon?"

"No," she snapped back at him. "Can you guys be happy that I AM happy? Even for a minute…"

"I am happy for you Kono, don't get me wrong. Personally, I think that you're rushing things. Like, why don't you take a few more days to think about this…"

"I already did. Just like I told Chin, I already thought this through," she explained. "I'm getting married in a month. Period."

"This has nothing to do with..."

"No," she stopped Danny before he could say something else. "So stop."

"Fine. If you say so."

She walked away, not looking back; she could feel Danny and Chin's eyes on her the entire time. Still, she didn't look back. The last thing she needed was her cousin questioning about what Danny was about to say, which was obviously something related to Steve and her feelings for him.

 

* * *

 

Somehow Kono knew something odd was going on. First Dylan had called at least 3 times to ask her what time she was coming home, which was weird since she had told him she wasn't sure until the paperwork was finished. Then Danny made some lame excuse as usual and left early. Sure, maybe that had nothing to do with her but Danny usually never lied to her, and he was giving her strange looks so she thought maybe it did had something to do with her after all.

Later, when she was walking out of her car, the feeling of oddness had multiplied at least four times. There were two unfamiliar cars parked just outside her house, and she could also hear the music coming from inside. Dylan was not alone at all.

Was he having a party without telling her?

She put the key on the door and seconds later she could hear the 'shh she's coming' from inside. There were people, as in more than one, with her boyfriend. She had a bad feeling about this…

The door opened and she had to double back at the loud yell of 'SURPRISE'. Arms immediately wrapped around her waist, Dylan pulling her into a tight hug.

She wasn't wrong about the people.

Her mother was there, Chin, a few other friends she hadn't seen in months. Danny waved at her from the crowd. He had the 'I'm sorry' look on his face. He knew she didn't like surprises at all and now she hated them with passion.

"What's this?" she asked with fake smile on her face because she clearly sensed what it was about.

"It's our engagement party," Dylan said, unlike her he looked truly happy. "I know you were having a hard time even telling people about it, so I decided to make this so now everyone knows."

He had invited her mother of all people. And she was really planning on inviting her for lunch and to talk about the wedding. She did not want her to find out about it like this, with everyone watching. She looked happy though with big, wide smile on her face.

"Wow, this is…" she was at a loss for words. She didn't want to offend him by telling him how much she hated parties in general, so she went along with a huge, fake smile once again. "Great."

"Wait, I have one more surprise for you," Dylan spoke, turning around to the crowd. She was searching among the faces for Steve, thinking he might be there to celebrate with her. Though she knew to him there was nothing to celebrate.

Then a familiar face surfaced among the crowd - her best friend Maggie.

Kono never felt so relieved and happy to see her. She hugged her and a sudden rush of sadness came to her. She had missed her terribly.

"I thought you wouldn't be back for a couple of weeks," Kono told her.

"Yeah, I told my boss I had an emergency and he sent me back," she smiled at her friend. "Besides, I wouldn't miss your engagement party for anything in the world."

She looked around her, though everyone had smiles on their faces and looked somewhat happy, she had failed to feel that way a long time ago. She had to be honest with herself, if she hadn't called off this forsaken relationship it was just because Dylan was a great man, not because she was completely head over heels. Her heart belonged to someone else, she was clear about that.

 

* * *

 

She had disappeared in the kitchen shortly after. She took several glasses of water, to calm herself down, watching her face a few times, but the weirdness of it all had settled in. She could definitely not continue with the fake smiles any longer.

"Sup?"

"God Maggie you scared me…"

"What on earth are you doing here?" her friend asked, Kono shrugged, sitting on the kitchen counter.

"I needed a break."

"From your awesome engagement party?"

She knew her friend was trying to cheer her up, but her mind and heart were elsewhere and no matter how many jokes or tales she told her, she just couldn't smile any more.

"He tried real hard, didn't he?" Kono whispered and Maggie nodded.

"I think that's sweet. He really cares about you."

"Yeah, he does."

"It is sad Steve didn't make it though."

She snapped her head towards her friends at the mention of his name.

"I talked to Danny and he said he was too busy with paperwork," Maggie continued. "If you ask me I think that's the worst excuse in the world."

"Maybe it's not an excuse, maybe he was really busy."

"Or maybe he just didn't want to come because he's secretly crazy about you AND didn't want to see you celebrating your engagement to another guy."

Maggie was going to freak out, probably from happiness because she had been right all along, or from madness. Either way she needed to share this with someone.

"About that…" she swallowed hard; Maggie frowned at her friends discomfort. "Steve told me he had feelings for me, a few days before Dylan proposed. He actually said he loved me, which is weird because I thought it was only me…"

"He said he loved you and you're still marrying Dylan?" Maggie asked confused. "Why?"

"Because… God, because it has been a year Maggie. Steve wasted a whole year and now, just when I met someone wonderful, he realizes he loves me? No. I can't just leave Dylan like that after all he has done for me."

"But you love Steve. You have loved him for so long."

"Yes. But I loved Dylan too, and I won't. I can't break his heart like this…"

Her friend hugged her, making small circles on her back. Kono felt all the burden of the last days on her shoulders. She cried for the last couple of days, for Steve, for Dylan, for all the decisions she has made. She cried because there was nothing left to be done.

"God, you're in a freaking mess," Maggie whispered.

She couldn't agree more.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

Kono thought her wedding should be special, like most women do; the process of getting engaged, sharing the news with the ones she loved.. it should be perfect and full of happiness. The last couple of days had been hard. Scratch that, they had been extremely complicated. She had been arranging the invitations with Maggie and she had set three of them apart for Danny, Chin and Steve. The last one was going to be complicated to deliver, especially since she was doing it personally and not by mail like the others.

She held the envelope tightly in her hand; she walked the remaining steps into Steve's office. He was, like many times before, stuck with a pile of paper work surrounding him. He hadn't noticed her presence instantly, so she waited until he raised his head.

He gave her a weak smile. Not because he was sad or mad at her but because of pure tiredness. God knows how long he had been locked inside his office.

"Sorry to interrupt," she spoke and he put his paper work aside to put his full attention on her.

"It's okay. I kind of need a break." He leaned back on his chair and watched her as she stepped a little bit closer to his desk. He saw an envelope in her hands and she played with it nervously. He wondered what that meant. "What are you doing here, anyways; I thought this was your day off?"

"Yeah, I just stopped by to give you this."

She hands him the invitation, he takes it, glances at her and the envelope back and forth.

"It's the wedding invitation," she continues, watching as his demeanor changes completely. He looked wide awake now, awake and a little bit sad, probably because he wasn't expecting her to walk in just like that.

"Oh right…" he peeks inside, looking at the names engraved in the white paper. His fingers barely brush at her name and she feels her heart break a little bit inside.

This shouldn't have been done this way. No.

"Thanks." He mouthed, disregarding the invitation for a minute and pushed the folders back into his desk. He pretended to be concentrated in his work once again, while Kono stood there watching him. "I don't mean to be rude or anything but I have tons of paperwork to finish, do you mind?"

She should have been hurt at his reaction; he was basically kicking her out, but she couldn't blame him. He was as sad and hurt as she was so she didn't complain. She nodded slightly and walked out of his office in silence.

Once she was out of sight she took the opportunity to cry freely. Inside his office, Steve threw the pen away, losing all focus on what he was supposed to be doing.

 

* * *

 

She sobbed for what seemed to be the fifth time in ten minutes. Maggie ran her hands down her back, making soothing circles over and over again, but no matter what she did Kono sobbed harder than before. She was feeling utterly miserable.

"You should have seen him Maggie," she cried, wiping way the tears blocking her vision. "He looked sad and… God, I made him feel that way. I did."

"Honey, you need to calm down a little bit, alright? You did what you had to do."

"But I made him sad. I caused all the pain and… I shouldn't have."

"Hey! It's not your fault that he realized he loved you when it was too late. You can't keep blaming yourself."

She sobbed again, covering her face with her hands and crying. Her chest ached, her heart ached. She couldn't erase the look on Steve's face when he saw the invitation from her mind.

"I love him…" she whispered, raising her head to look at her friend who stared at her with a pitiful look on her face. "I love them both and I don't know what to do about it. If I leave Dylan I'll make him suffer and I'll break his heart. But if I stay with him the one heartbroken will be Steve. I mean, what can I do?"

"I wish I could tell you, honey," Maggie whispered, still caressing her back for comfort. "But this is a battle you have to fight on your own. I can give you advice, as much as you want, but the choice is entirely yours."

How was she supposed to choose? Both were perfect, both sweet and kind and loved her. Dylan had made sacrifices for her, moving to Hawaii so she wouldn't have to leave, he had quit his job to make things less complicated. He was everything a girl could ask for.

But Steve, he was the man she had loved for two years. Part of her heart (a big part) belonged to him, and the reason why she thought she could move on was because he had an entirely different life that did not include her (at least not the way she wanted).

How could she let him go if she still loved him? But how could she let Dylan go if she loved him too?

"God this is such a mess…" she whispered, sighing heavily.

"That I agree." Maggie spoke "You got into this completely unnecessary mess."

"Unnecessary?"

"Of course. You shouldn't have said yes to Dylan in the first place."

Kono was about to say something but Maggie stopped her before she could actually speak.

"I know what you're thinking," Maggie continued. "You couldn't just wait for Steve to see you, yes I know. But you shouldn't have said yes if you weren't sure about your feelings about Dylan,"

She stared at her friend and was amazed at how well she knew her. It was sort of scary; it was as if she were reading her mind.

"I hate you," Kono spoke, shaking her head at Maggie's words

"Of course not. You love me and you KNOW I'm right."

"Still, it's too late to change my mind."

"According to whom?"

"I already sent the invitations, Maggie. The wedding is on/"

"No, of course not. You can still talk to Dylan, explain the whole situation, then make a few phone calls and voila!"

"Are you seriously telling me to break my engagement?"

"I'm only saying you deserve to be happy, and you know and I know that happiness is NOT with Dylan. No matter how awesome and cool he is."

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

She was seriously considering calling the wedding off. Maggie had put that thought into her head, though she was secretly waiting for someone to tell her 'yes, you should do that', and now she couldn't stop thinking about it. She understood that meant Dylan being heartbroken, sad and angry at her, but she was so desperate she just couldn't see another choice.

The hard part was the 'how?' How could she drop the bomb without being too harsh? One of her choices was writing a letter. She had the words in her head, she was ready to sit at her desk and write the most heartbroken letter in her life, but Dylan's sudden arrival distracted her from the task in hand.

He had this dreamy smile on his face, like the one he had when he had thrown the surprise engagement party to her. He kissed her, a sweet melting kiss full of love and tenderness.

"Hi…" she whispered, a little breathless. "What are you doing home so early?"

"I just wanted to stop by to show you something, I have a meeting and my boss is waiting for me," he spoke quickly, taking her hand and dragging her towards the couch. She followed suit, wondering why he was so excited.

"What's going on?" she had asked her, only receiving a smile from him.

"I spoke with my mother last week," he said. "She is eager to meet you and since she cannot be here before the wedding, she sent this for you."

He took a small package from his bag and handle to her. It said 'New York' on the front, and it was a medium sized box. She wasn't sure what could it be and why his mother would have sent something to her if they haven't met at all. She had the feeling this was going to make things harder again.

He stared at her as she held the package in her hand, frozen. He was anxious to see her reaction. She took a few seconds to calm her crazy heart, and opened the box in front of her slowly.

The contents took her breath away. Inside there was a beautiful vintage gold diamond bracelet, it was gorgeous and expensive. Was his mom seriously thinking about giving this to her?

"Oh God Dylan… this is beautiful," she spoke, admiring the jewelry in front of her.

"It was from my grandmother," he spoke with fascination. "My mother thought you should have it like the something old you need, right?"

"No… this, this is too much."

"Of course not! Mom wants you to have it. She will go mental if you refuse."

'No, she will go mental when she finds out I'm about to break her little boys heart' she thought.

"Well… thank you," she spoke softly, a knot forming in her throat. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his body. She let a few tears run down her cheeks, releasing all the frustration she felt inside.

He pulled away, wiping the tears with his hand and kissing her forehead.

"I have to go, okay?" he whispered, "but I'll be back as soon as this meeting is over, alright?"

"Sure…" was all she could manage to say, still overwhelmed by everything.

He walked away and she watched him leave and waved goodbye. Once he closed the door behind him she cried with all she had, clutching the bracelet in her hand.

She wanted to get all this done, she wanted to run away, far away but everything turned into the wrong direction. Now she was once again lost.

There was a soft knock on the door, she prayed and hoped it was Maggie. She really needed more advice, another push or a suggestion of what to do next. She sucked when it came to love.

But it wasn't Maggie, nor Chin, nor Dylan. It was none other than Steve, looking gloomy and miserable.

"Hi…" he spoke softly, staring at the floor for a brief second to then look at her. "Can I come in?"

She opened the door wide for him to walk in, he stepped inside and looked at his surroundings. It wasn't the first time he had been there; there were other times when they were happy and friendly and neither of them knew what was going on with their feelings. Now, seeing him at her house and alone, made everything difficult and complicated.

"What are you doing here? Dylan is gonna be home soon and I don't want him to see you here."

"No he's not. I saw him walk out a few minutes ago."

She frowned, just for how long he had been watching them?

"Are you spying on me?"

"No, I was just waiting for the right time to knock on your door."

She was already regretting letting him in.

"I wanted to talk to you…" he spoke softly, "about the wedding."

"Steve…"

"I'm not going," he spoke quickly.

She was sad though she knew what his answer was going to be. She wasn't expecting to react this way, though, she never thought she could be this sad.

"I'm sorry but I can't," he continued, his face showing clear signs of grief. "I won't be there with a fake smile on my face as I watch you marry someone else."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, another tear rolling down her cheek but she wiped away quickly with the back of her hand.

"Because I love you," he spoke, taking a few steps closer to her. She stepped away, her legs almost crashing against the couch.

"No…"

"Yes! God, it is so hard for you to believe?"

"No! You cannot come here and tell me all this. Not now!" She yelled, pacing around the room with desperation. "I'm getting married in less than three weeks, Steve. What do you expect me to do, huh?"

"Call the wedding off," he said and she felt like he had been reading her mind all of a sudden. Hearing him saying that, what Maggie had told her to do made everything sound so cruel and heartless. Especially after what his mother had done for her, she just couldn't.

"What?"

"Call the wedding off and stay with me," he spoke again, once again making her way towards her.

"Steve…"

"I love you and you love me. You told me that, remember?"

"That was a year ago."

"So what? It could have been four years, five years, but it's the same. You love me… I can see it."

"I love Dylan…"

He stepped away from her, frowning. He wasn't ready to hear that, he wasn't ready to feel as broken as he felt now. He thought coming here, telling her how he felt would only bring happiness and not grief.

"And I'm getting married. You can't change that, it's too late," she continued but God he refused to believe that. He refused because she was sad and she wasn't supposed to be.

"I don't believe you." he whispered and Kono looked angry at him.

"I don't care what you believe," she said cruelly, "I told you this is too late. You ARE too late…"

He walked towards her, the remaining steps for their bodies to be closer. His hands touched her face, softly, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. He was breaking her personal space, her bubble. Maybe in another time she could have pushed him away but she just couldn't because she had wanted to have him close, like this, for so long she wouldn't dare breaking this moment, no matter how wrong it is.

Before she could even blink his lips were on hers. Moving slowly, sweetly. Her arms immediately traveled to his neck, wrapping them around him. She moaned against his lips, kissing him back with all she had.

But then her mind spoke. This was wrong, all of this. She couldn't be kissing someone else when she was about to get married, this was so wrong in so many ways. No matter how good it felt.

She pushed him away, breaking the contact slowly, turning around from him. She could still feel his body close to her.

"You need to go," she spoke softly.

"Kono…"

"Steve please just go," she spoke again, firmly this time, not allowing her voice to break. "Dylan will be here in any minute."

He stood there, waiting for her to turn around and wrap her arms around her like before. But she didn't. Nothing happened. He thought she had changed her mind, the way she kissed him, the way she moaned against his lips, but he had been wrong.

"This wasn't a mistake," he said. "We're right, Kono. No matter how hard is it for you to believe."

She heard the door close behind her and finally turned around. She cried like she hadn't cried in days, her heart clinching against her chest.

She hated her life right now.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

Kono and Maggie walked around the mall for what seemed like hours. It was wedding shopping day, they were supposed to buy her wedding dress, not walk around in circles. Maggie tried as hard as she could to make her friend look happy, energetic even but so far nothing. Kono looked gloomy and no matter how much she tried there was no way Maggie could change that.

Then Maggie had found what she called the perfect wedding shop. She dragged her in, Kono resisted for a few minutes but then she let her friend guide her.

She forgot how many wedding dresses she had tried on in the last hour, and how many times Maggie had said she looked beautiful. She couldn't choose one because they were all beautiful, and she could have done a better job if her mood were different.

She tried on one, the tenth dress, and looked ay herself in the mirror. Maybe it was because she was tired, or because searching for dresses was not her thing, but as she saw her reflection she pictured herself next to Steve. Holding his arm in front of her friends and family, smiling contently as the priest called them 'Mr. and Mrs. McGarrett', him kissing her the way he had done last night.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I think she found it…" the sales lady spoke, smiling at Maggie.

Kono let herself cry, covering her face with her hands as her friend hold her between her arms.

 

* * *

 

She comes home, the dress hanging on her arm. She had cried all the way to Maggie's house, she thought they should stop by her place for her to relax a little, she knew Dylan would ask questions she wasn't ready to answer yet.

Dylan was waiting for her with dinner, she was thinking about excusing herself and going to bed, but he looked eager to see her and she didn't have the energy to reject him.

They sat on the table quietly, at least she was quiet. He talked about work, about his coworkers, about his family. She had listened in silence, nodding every once in a while, her mind elsewhere.

"I've been thinking, since I have no close friends here, that I could talk to your friends about being my best man."

She snapped her head towards him, shocked at his new idea.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna ask Steve, since you two seemed to be close."

She almost choked on her wine at his words. She watched him, thinking he might be joking because this seemed to be a terrible idea, but then she remembered that to Dylan Steve was just a friend and a coworker, he had no idea about them because they had never discussed it.

"Oh, that's not going to be possible," she said, playing with the food on her plate, avoiding Dylan's eyes. She wondered if he was able to read her like Steve did.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because…" she tried hard to make a quick excuse for Steve's absence and she spoke the first words her brain told her, "he has been called on duty."

"Just in time for our wedding?"

"Yeah, well you know it's his job. It's something he cannot say no about…"

She hoped he believed her, because right now that was the only idea she had in her head.

"Was that why you were crying?"

She frowned in confusion. He had seen her cry the day Steve left, after they kissed, he had walked home and she was so miserable in her little bubble she hadn't seen his presence, she hadn't had time to wipe away her tears.

"I… yeah" she whispered and he nodded. "Steve had stopped by to tell me about his mission. I'm sorry I didn't mention it before."

"It's alright. I understand how hard it must have been. I know he means a lot to you."

He had no idea how much.

 

* * *

 

"I told him that Steve had to leave on a mission," Kono spoke on the phone, sitting outside her house, enjoying the breeze on her face.

 _"Did he believe you?"_  Maggie asked

"Yeah, I mean I think so…"

_"Kono I told you, you should have ended this a week ago."_

"Maggie, he gave his mom's bracelet. He looked so happy doing so. How was I supposed to tell him 'hey Dylan I can't marry you because I love Steve'?" she whispered, casually looking around her house, making sure Dylan hadn't heard a word.

_"So what if he gave you his mom's bracelet? You say 'No thank you, I can't take it' and ' I can't marry you, I'm sorry' simple!"_

"Maybe to you! But to me it's hundred times worse…"

 _"What do you mean?_ " Maggie asked. She fell into an awkward silence.  _"Kono, did something else happen that you haven't told me about?_ "

"No… yes," she sighed heavily and took a few moments to prepare herself for Maggie's reaction, which meant lots of yelling. "We kissed"

_"Who?"_

"Me and Steve, who else?"

 _"You did WHAT?_ "

"The night he stopped by to tell me he wasn't coming to the wedding," she explained, "he said he loved me, and then he kissed me."

_"Kono…"_

"Look, I know what you're thinking, but this doesn't change anything. I'm still marrying Dylan in two weeks."

_"You're crazy."_

She rolled her eyes. She forgot how many times she had heard that from her.

"Maybe, but still there's no turning back."

"You are getting yourself into a huge amount of crap. I don't get it."

"I know."

_"I mean, did you even like the kiss or not?"_

She smiled, touching her lips with her fingertips, thinking about how good Steve's lips felt on her own. How they fit together perfectly.

"I loved it…"

_"Then what the fuck, Kono?. What exactly are you doing?"_

She wanted to know that herself.

 

* * *

 

Steve sat at his desk in silence, lost in space. He had been there for hours, looking outside his window, playing with the pen in his hand. His mind was anywhere but here, where he should be working on his forsaken report.

In two weeks Kono would no longer be free. She will be someone else's and it was killing him inside. Each day he cursed himself for not seeing how much he loved her, and how he was losing her. He had tried, he really had, but she had already made up her mind and there was no way he could change that thought. No matter how much he begged.

Danny knocked on his friend's door, sending his attention directly towards him.

"You alright man?" Danny asked to which Steve nodded.

"Yeah. I'm cool."

"Cool, really?"

He laid back in his chair, closing his eyes for a brief second and taking a deep breath. He knew him better than himself, that much was true.

"I'm not going to the wedding, Danny," Steve spoke, his friend watched him with surprise.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Danny, I love her," Steve explained. "I love her and she's marrying someone else. I cannot go to her wedding and pretend I'm happy…"

"She needs you, Steve. She wants you there otherwise she would have never asked you."

"But I can't," he shook his head slowly, sighing heavily. "I can't be there, Danny. It will break my heart."

"So you'd rather break hers instead?"

"I already made my decision. I'm not going."

"Fine," Danny spoke firmly. "But don't tell me I didn't warn you about how wrong this is."

He turned around and walked away. Steve wondered how right Danny could be right now.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Two weeks later**._

 

She couldn't believe the day was finally here. She was getting married in less than an hour. She was soon to be Mrs. Matthews forever.

She sat in front of the mirror in a small room at the church. Maggie had already applied her makeup and was now currently working on her hair. She had set it in soft waves; it wasn't anything fancy and it looked natural, she didn't want to make it so exaggerated.

Her mother kept telling her she looked beautiful, her eyes full with tears of joy. She was herself about to break into tears, but not tears of joy at all.

"All done," Maggie said, making the last few touches on her hair. "You look gorgeous; Dylan is going to flip when he sees you."

She smiled at her friend and the lame attempts of making her smile. Though Maggie had been against her wedding since day one, she had supported her friends decision even if she reminded her how much of a mistake this was when Kono showed any sign of cold feet. Now she had stopped, for obvious reasons. There was no more 'stop doing this' from her friend.

So she began crying after a few minutes. She had tried to hold herself together for hours, especially in front of her mother, but now, seeing Maggie in her maid of honor dress and telling her how happy Dylan was going to be, made her snap. She could no longer control the tears and the sobs coming from her mouth.

"Honey, c'mon you're gonna ruin your make up," Maggie whispered, making small comforting circles with her hand on her friends back.

"God Maggie… what am I doing?" she spoke between sobs, tears streaming down her face.

"You're getting married, like you wanted."

"But this is so wrong. So wrong…"

"Honey, it's too late. You said it yourself, you had already made up your mind and this was your choice."

She sobbed louder this time, covering her face with her hands. Her friend hugged her, but instead of making her feel better she felt worse.

"I can't do this…" she sobbed again, "I can't… I need… God, I need to leave." She got up quickly, making her way towards the door. Maggie did the same, stepping in front of her friend.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to go. I can't do this…"

"Are you nuts? Your mother is outside, what are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know!"

She paced around the room, wiping away her tears angrily. Maggie watched her, watched at how desperate her friend was and she too was desperate to help her out.

There was a knock on the door; both friends looked at each other in silence. There was another knock and neither of them moved

"Kono?" it was Dylan, knocking frantically on the door, each knock became louder "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Maggie answered. "She's fine. She's getting ready now."

"Open the door," he demanded and Kono immediately shook her head vigorously.

"You can't see the bride before the wedding!" Maggie said. "It's bad luck!"

"Open the door Maggie. I need to see her…"

He pushed the door open in one quick motion. Kono was standing in the middle of the room, eyes puffy. Maggie made a lame attempt of stepping between them, covering Kono with her body.

"It's bad luck," Maggie repeated in Dylan's face, he smiled at her.

"I don't believe in that sort of thing," he spoke, moving to stand before Kono. "Are you alright? I heard you crying."

She really hoped he hadn't heard her saying she was making a mistake.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied.

"Do you mind, Maggie? I need to speak to her alone."

Maggie made her way towards the door, shaking her head.

'I have a bad feeling about this' she whispered on her way out.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dylan asked Kono again.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said once more.

"Is it about Steve?"

She frowned, a shiver running down her back. Had he heard their conversation? Did he know?

"About him not being here?" he continued. She sighed in relief.

"Yes," she spoke, fresh new tears running down her cheeks. She found the perfect excuse to cry now. "I really wanted him to be with me…"

"I know, sweetie," he whispered, kissing her forehead and wiping away her tears. "I wish I could do something about it."

"I know. It's okay…" she smiled tenderly. "I'm gonna be fine, don't worry."

"Okay," he smiled, kissed her and made his way towards the door. "I'll be waiting outside. I cannot wait to make you my wife."

He winked and closed the door behind her. She felt the tears and the sobs coming to her once again and this time she wasn't going to stop them.

 

* * *

 

Steve sat on his couch, remote control in his hand, a beer in the other. His phone beeped, it was the fifth time already and he knew it was Danny trying to convince him to go to the wedding. He wasn't in the mood to fight him.

He switched channels, grabbed another beer and took a long sip. He felt the effects of it already showing up and the annoying beeping of his phone once again. He didn't want to pick up but figure if he didn't it wouldn't stop.

"What?" he asked harshly to whoever was in the other line, Danny or not.

_"You can still change your mind about not coming."_

He wasn't mistaken; it was Danny and his attempt to convince him.

"I told you, I'm not going."

 _"Steve, Maggie told me Kono had been crying,"_  Danny explained.  _"She also told me Kono was about to run away and call the wedding off."_

He sat straight up on his chair quickly, paying close attention at Danny's words.

"Are you serious?"

 _"Yes. I've been calling you nonstop for the last fifteen minutes, to tell you exactly this,"_  Danny said,  _"you still have time, if you hurry…"_

He thought about it for a minute, settling for what Danny had just told him; he still had time, he could still be there in hopes for her to call the wedding off.

"I'll meet you at the church."

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

She took a deep breath to calm herself down a little bit and grabbed the bouquet. Chin held his arm out to her and she took it with trembling hands. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek; the sweet gesture moved her and made her feel warm inside. The church was crowded; relatives and friends watched her as she made her way towards the man waiting for her at the altar.

Everyone smiled. Everyone but her.

Dylan smiled broadly when he saw her. She shared a weak smile with him and put her hand in his as she reached the altar. The priest made a motion with his hand and everyone took their seats.

She shared one last look with Maggie, who winked at her and nodded. There was no turning back this time. It was done.

"…Kono Kalakaua," the priest spoke, "do you take Dylan Matthews as your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

She took a deep breath, swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Something deep inside of her made her look away, towards the crowd, as if she were looking for something (someone) among them.

Her heart stopped. Steve was sitting not a few rows behind his mother, watching her intensely. She felt conflicted. Her parents were watching her; Dylan was staring at her waiting for her answer. She didn't have the heart anymore to walk away, it was too late. There was no turning back anymore…

"I do," she finally whispered, stealing one last glance from Steve who had bowed his head in sign of surrender. Her heart broke into a million pieces. Dylan watched her intensely, followed her eyes and saw him. He understood. Now, after all this time he had finally seen it.

"Dylan Matthews," the priest continued, "do you take Kono Kalakaua for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

He watched her, held her hand and kissed her knuckles. He looked at Steve, who frowned at him, and then took a few steps away from the altar.

People stared, in awe, as he stepped away from Kono. She had confusion written all over her face, and so did everybody else at the ceremony.

"I'm sorry, but no," he answered. Because know he knew, he saw everything his eyes had not allowed himself to see. Everything made sense, her feelings, her reactions, her tears. She loved him, Steve.

"Dylan, what are you doing?" she cried.

"Come with me," he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the same room she had been before, where she had cried.

Steve stood up quickly and tried to follow but Danny and Chin had put themselves in the middle.

"Let them go," Chin said and so he did, because he was speechless and confused.

 

* * *

 

He looked outside the window. It had an amazing view, the waves, the sand and the palm trees. Everything outside looked wonderful. Yet everything inside looked awful and sad. She looked perfect in her wedding dress, it fit her body in every way. He had been so happy to make her his wife, they were so close to being happy but sadly her heart did not belong to him in the first place.

He should have known better.

"Dylan…" she spoke but he didn't turn away. His heart ached but he blamed himself for being so blind, so stupid.

"You weren't crying because he couldn't make it," he spoke, his gaze fixed outside, where everything was pretty. "You were crying because you love him."

"I…"

"It wasn't a question, don't worry. I already know the answer."

He glanced at her. She cried, slow tears running down her beautiful face. She felt terrible, miserable even, because this shouldn't be happening. Neither of them should be either sad, nor broken, nor miserable.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, sobbing softly.

"Don't be," he said sincerely. "I should have seen it, you know? The love he felt for you, the one I had mistaken for friendship."

"We were friends..." she explained "but then something snapped in me and I…."

"Love him?"

She nodded.

"Why did you say yes?" he asked

"Because…. everything was different when I met you. You were different, sweet, kind and perfect. I thought I had a chance to forget, to live a brand new life with you," she looked down in shame. "I'm sorry."

She wasn't sure it that was the explanation he had hoped to hear, but she was being completely honest with herself and with him.

"Nothing to be sorry about," he took a few steps towards her, took her hands between his. "It was me who should be apologizing for stepping between the two of you."

"You didn't…"

"You and Steve belong together. That's what I should understand, what I should have known."

"I never meant to hurt you." She cried and once again he wiped away her tears. The sweet gesture melted her heart; she was having a hard time processing his reaction, always thinking he might be angry, after all she had practically cheated on him.

"I know," he kissed her forehead, "what is done is done. Now is time for you to move on, be happy. Promise me you will."

"I will."

"Good," he whispered, giving her hands a light squeeze. "Now how about I go and get this thing done?"

She nodded and kissed his cheek, because there was nothing else she could say or do any more. He walked away from her, smiling faintly. Her heart crunched inside, she wasn't sure if it was because this was finally over, or because she felt bad at how far this had gotten and only because of her.

 

* * *

 

People waited outside as Dylan walked out of the room. His mother and brother watched him with expectation, and he shook his head, telling them silently everything was over.

"Your attention please," he spoke, every head turning towards him. "Thank you all for coming, but the wedding is off."

He watched as Steve walked closer to him, Chin standing near him and Maggie covering her mouth with her hand to suppress a smile. He walked closer to Steve, being the main reason why this had happened, and stood in front of him.

He could have been mad, could have been angry at him for breaking what was supposed to be 'his happy day' but there was no point, not anymore. He loved Kono, that much was true, he loved her enough to make her happy and right now being with him did not make her happy, thought at some point he thought it did.

"She's waiting for you." he spoke.

"Listen Dylan I…"

"No, it's okay. Don't say anything," Dylan interrupted, not really wanting to continue this any further. "I understand, really. She wants you and not me, that's the only reality. Now is up to you to make her happy."

"And I will," Steve answered.

"Now go to her, she's waiting for you."

Steve took a deep breath, turned around and followed the same steps Dylan had before. His heart was beating fast, palms sweating and head spinning. He had never been so nervous before, never more anxious and scared about what was yet to come.

His hands reached the door knob, twisting it until the door opened. Kono was standing by the window, she hadn't noticed his presence so he took the opportunity to admire her beauty. She looked radiant in her wedding dress, perfect and beautiful. If she had been his bride, he could have been the luckiest man in the world. His heart beat faster once again wondering if that could ever be a reality.

"Kono," he called her name softly. She turned around slowly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. He took a few steps closer, silently praying for her not asking him to leave.

It was her turn to make a move. She walked towards him, her eyes locked with his, her hands trembled. This was the moment she had been waiting for, nothing was stepping between them anymore, and she was free and happy, albeit with lots of tears and pain in the process.

"I love you," she whispered, her hands reaching his face and he closes his eyes at her touch leaning in just a little.

"I love you too," he said moving just a bit closer, his face just inches away from hers. "So much…"

"Will you stay with me?" she said mimicking his movements, licking her lips with anticipation.

"Always."

His lips crashed into hers with fierce passion. This was not like two weeks ago, it was not just him wanting this, it was her as well. They needed each other, wanted each other for so long now everything fit together.

This was the right thing. This was love.

**THE END!**


End file.
